Adopting a Clarification in Calculating the 2006-2007 Accreditation Ratings

Resolution Number 2006-3February 15, 2006

Dr. Ward made a motion to adopt the proposed clarification in calculating the 2006-2007 accreditation ratings. The pass rates required for the reading and mathematics tests in grades 4, 6, and 7 for full accreditation will be 70 percent. Alternatively, in schools that include students who have taken a third-or fifth-grade reading test as well as those who have taken a reading test in grades 4, 6, or 7, the scores of all English tests taken in the school may be combined and the resulting pass rate tested against the 75 percent benchmark. The additions to the Guidelines Governing Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia were adopted as follows:

Standard 8 VAC 20-131-300. Application of the standards.

Section C. Accreditation ratings defined.

1. Fully accredited
A school will be rated Fully Accredited when its eligible students meet the pass rate of 70% in each of the four content areas except, effective with ratings earned in the 2003-2004 academic year and beyond, the pass rates required shall be 75% in third- and fifth-grade English and 50% in third-grade science and history/social science. In schools housing grades kindergarten through grade five, the English and mathematics pass rates for accreditation purposes shall be calculated for these grades as single pass rates by combining the scores of all grades three and five SOL tests administered in English and by combining the scores of all grades three and five SOL tests administered in mathematics.

Guidelines

Scores from the reading and mathematics tests administered in grades 4, 6, and 7 will be included in the accreditation ratings of schools administering these tests. The pass rates required for these tests for full accreditation will be 70%. Alternatively, full accreditation may be achieved by combining the scores for the reading tests in grades 4, 6, 7, 8, and end-of-course with the scores for the reading tests at grades 3 and 5 and the writing tests at grades 5, 8, or high school if the resulting combined pass rate meets or exceeds the 75% pass rate required for third- and fifth-grade English.

Mark E. Emblidge, President
Board of Education

Adopted in the Minutes of the Virginia Board of Education
February 15, 2006